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Reversible Stripes Scarf

With an itch to make a scarf, I found myself happily lost in the pages of Barbara Walker’s seminal “Treasuries” of stitch patterns. Intrigued by the rhythms and possibilities of her slip stitch patterns, I think I tried them all. And then I finally combined a couple, a bit of Woven Stitch and a dash of Linen Stitch and voila, a reversible stripe!

This magical world of slip stitches has me firmly in its clutches. How else could there be a simple knit fabric with so much complexity and fascination?!? One side of this stitch pattern is smooth and flat, seemingly woven, with impeccably thin horizontal pinstripes; while the other side is textured in deep, hearty ridges, running in vertical stripes like a knotted tweed.

When wrapped, folded, and tucked around your neck, this scarf is delightfully dizzying! It achieves all I hoped for and more. No curled edges and two sides that aren’t just both presentable, but whose contrast in pattern and texture actually enliven and complement one another.

In the spirit of the love and generosity of Valentine’s Day, I knit up my scarf in Jade Sapphire’s unparalleled Zageo 6 Ply Cashmere. An elegant yarn for a timeless scarf, it is amazingly soft and toasty warm. If only I had the heart to actually give it away! –Laura

Update: October 2013

Pictured below, is a new version of the Reversible Stripes Scarf using a combination of Jade Sapphire’s Zageo 6 Ply Cashmere and Alchemy’s Kozmos, a wonderfully complex yarn that adds texture and shine.

I followed the original pattern (below) with one modification: a cast on of 55 stitches, resulting in a more generous finished dimension of 9 inches wide x 92 inches long. -Laura

For the original all-cashmere version, I used the color Pewter for Yarn A and the color Ivory for Yarn B. Pictured below are swatches of nine additional available colorways, each one available as a Yarn for Reversible Stripes Scarf kit!

Size

Notes

If you would like to adjust this pattern for a different width, simply cast on any odd number of stitches.

Slip stitches purl-wise.

Each row in this pattern starts with the instructions to either “Turn” or “Slide” the work:

“Turning the work” means to do what you would normally do when knitting rows with a circular needle. That is to say, put the needle in your left hand into your right and the needle in your right hand into your left, and flip the work around so the opposite side is facing you.

“Sliding the work” means to keep the same side of the work facing you and to push all the stitches to the right end of the circular needle. Without turning the work, start the new row as you normally would.

You will know that you’re doing this right if the yarn you need to complete the next row is magically there waiting for you!

112 Responses to Reversible Stripes Scarf

This is absolutely gorgeous looking! I have been looking for a pattern for a baby blanket for my oldest, dearest friend’s first grandchild. I know it may sound silly to want to make a baby blanket out of this, but oh, it will be so gorgeous. My questions are:
1) if I make this out of 2 DK weight superwash yarns, will it work? Obviously I can’t make this out of cashmere for a baby (duh!) but I don’t want it out of cheap yarn either. Would you ever consider doing it out of Blue Sky Worsted Cotton, or do you think that would be too heavy? Any suggestions for what might work would be greatly appreciated.

2) I’m thinking about making the size about 35 or 40 inches square. Any help on yarn amounts would also be helpful.

One last note… this would look wonderful in a worsted weight yarn as well… If you wanted to make it a little easier on yourself. It’s a very versatile stitch!
Let us know if you have any other questions.
Laura

Your reply was so helpful…..thank you!
I think I’m going to skip the cotton idea and use 2 DK suoerwash yarns.

I am currently knitting your Colorblock Bias Blanket and although I didn’t buy the kit, I am using both the Koigu Kersti and the Anzula Cricket yarns in it. (you can see it here: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/robinhlavacek/colorblock-bias-blanket) I love the way Cricket feels! It’s soft and squishy, just like a baby blanket should be so I think I’m going to go with that, using 2 light solid colors so the contrast isn’t too great between the 2 colors. I want a muted effect n the ecru/cream and either light blue or light green colors. The effect I’m looking for is the sample you show using Ivory and Silver Pearl. I think the best bet for me is to order a couple of skeins in colors I think I like (Au Natural, maybe Nimbus, Herb, Maple, Clay) and do up some swatches to see how they come out. Then I’ll also have a better idea of what the gauge is looking like for total yardage to order.

I’m also toying with the idea of adding a seed stitch border in one of the two colors. Too much do you think? I thought it might make the edges look better. Or maybe an I-cord border?? Suggestions readily accepted!

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